Bonnets, as worn by women and girws, were hats worn outdoors which were secured by tying under de chin, and often which had some kind of peak or visor. Some stywes of bonnets had peaks so warge dat dey effectivewy prevented women from wooking right or weft widout turning deir heads. Bonnets worn by men and boys are generawwy distinguished from hats by being soft and having no brim—dis usage is now rare (dey wouwd normawwy be cawwed caps today, except in Scotwand where de "bunnet" is common in bof civiwian wife and in de Royaw Regiment of Scotwand).

Caps are generawwy soft and often have no brim or just a peak (wike on a basebaww cap). For many centuries women wore a variety of head-coverings which were cawwed caps. For exampwe, in de 18f and 19f centuries a cap was a kind of head covering made of a fwimsy fabric such as muswin; it was worn indoors or under a bonnet by married women, or owder unmarried women who were "on de shewf" (e.g. mob-cap). An ochipok is part of traditionaw Ukrainian costume.

Some headgear, such as de crown, coronet, and tiara, have evowved into jewewry. These headgear are worn as a symbow of nobiwity or royaw status. Kokoshnik is part of Russian traditionaw dress, often worn by nobiwity.

A fiwwet or circwet is a round band worn around de head and over de hair. Ewaborate and costwy versions of dese eventuawwy evowved into crowns, but fiwwets couwd be made from woven bands of fabric, weader, beads or metaw. Fiwwets are unisex, and are especiawwy prevawent in archaic to renaissance dress.

Hairnets are used to prevent woose hair from contaminating food or work areas. A snood is a net or fabric bag pinned or tied on at de back of a woman's head for howding de hair. Scarves are used to protect stywed hair or keep it tidy. Shower caps and swim caps prevent hair from becoming wet or entangwed during activity.

Hats often have a brim aww de way around de rim, and may be eider pwaced on de head, or secured wif hat-pins (which are pushed drough de hat and de hair). Depending on de type of hat, dey may be properwy worn by men, by women or by bof sexes.

Hewmets are designed to protect de head, and sometimes de neck, from injury. They are usuawwy rigid, and offer protection from bwows. Hewmets are commonwy worn in battwe, on construction sites and in many contact sports (most commonwy being associated wif American footbaww). In most of de United States dey are reqwired by waw for anyone operating a range of vehicwes incwuding motorcycwes, and sometimes extending to bicycwes and skateboards.

Modern hoods are generawwy soft headcoverings which are an integraw part of a warger garment, wike an overcoat, shirt or cwoak.

Historicawwy, hoods were eider simiwar to modern hoods, or a separate form of headgear. In medievaw Europe hoods wif short capes, cawwed chaperons in French, were extremewy common, and water evowved into ewaborate and adaptabwe hats. Women's hoods varied from cwose-fitting, soft headgear to stiffened, structured hoods (e.g. gabwe hoods, hennins or French hoods) or very warge coverings made of materiaw over a frame which fashionabwe women wore over towering wigs or hairstywes to protect dem from de ewements (e.g. cawash).

A mask is worn over part or aww of de face, freqwentwy to disguise de wearer, but sometimes to protect de face. Masks are often worn for pweasure to disguise de wearer at fancy dress parties, masqwed bawws, during Hawwoween or oder festivaws, or as part of an artistic performance. They may awso be worn by criminaws to prevent recognition or as camoufwage whiwe dey commit a crime. Masks which physicawwy protect de wearer vary in design, from guard bars across de face in de case of ice hockey goawkeepers, to faciaw encwosures which purify or controw de wearer's air suppwy, as in gas masks.

Ordodontic headgear is used to controw de growf of de maxiwwary and mandibuwar bones during ordodontic treatment. The most common treatment headgear is used to correct anteroposterior discrepancies. The headgear attaches to de braces via metaw hooks or a facebow. Straps or a head cap anchor de headgear to de back of de head or neck. In some situations, bof are used.[1]

Ewastic bands are used to appwy pressure to de bow or hooks which is den transferred to de patients teef and jaw. Its purpose is to swow or stop de upper jaw from growing, dereby preventing or correcting an overjet. Oder forms of headgear treat reverse overjets, in which de top jaw is not forward enough. It is simiwar to a facemask, awso attached to braces, and encourages forward growf of de upper jaw. [2]

Turbans are headgear, mostwy for mawes, made up from a singwe piece of cwof which is wrapped around de head in a wide variety of stywes. Turban is de best known word in Engwish for a warge category of headgear and generaw head wraps traditionawwy worn in many parts of de worwd. Aww over de worwd Sikhs wear a turban as rewigious headgear and Muswims awso commonwy wear simiwar coverings

Turbans for women are a popuwar choice during chemoderapy treatment as an awternative to wigs, hats, headscarves and headbands. Sikh women awso wear turbans as a rewigious practice. Turbans for women made in naturaw fabrics are bof comfortabwe and functionaw. The Breast Cancer Care bookwet, Breast Cancer and Hair Loss, suggests: "You may want to wear a soft hat or turban in bed to cowwect woose hairs."[3]

A veiw is a piece of sheer fabric dat covers aww or part of de face. For centuries women covered deir hair, neck, ears, chin, and parts of de face wif fabric. Each cuwture created ewaborate head wraps for women and men using a shaww, headscarf, kerchief or veiw. Very ewaborate veiwing practices are common in Iswam, Africa and Eastern Europe. Women who don't cover deir head on a reguwar basis, often use a veiw in traditionaw wedding and funeraw ceremonies.

Headgear is awso an articwe of fashion. The formaw man's bwack siwk top hat was formerwy an indispensabwe portion of de suit, and women's hats have, over de years, attained a fantastic number of shapes ranging from immense confections to no more dan a few bits of cwof and decorations piwed on top of de head. Some hats, such as Deep Bwue Sea, are showpiece creations created more as works of art dan as practicaw items of fashion, and may be worf dousands or miwwions of dowwars. Recentwy, de hat as an articwe of formaw wear has fawwen out of fashion, dough some kinds of hats oder dan basebaww caps may be incwuded in young peopwe's subcuwturaw fashions.

In Judaism, men cover deir heads out of reverence for God. Jewish rewigious headgear for men incwude smaww cwof skuww-caps, cawwed kippahs or yarmuwkes. Some men wear dem at aww times, oders in de synagogue. In Ordodox and Hasidic Judaism, de kippah may awso be additionawwy covered by hats such as fedoras or shtreimews. Traditionaw married Jewish women cover deir hair in various ways, such as wif headscarfs, cawwed tichews, snoods, or wigs, cawwed sheitews according to de principwes and hawacha of tzniut.

Mawe Sikhs are reqwired to wear turbans. Some Sikh women awso wear a turban however it is not a reqwirement for femawe Sikhs. Turbans are awso worn by Muswims especiawwy among Shia Muswims, who regard turban-wearing as Sunnah Mu'akkadah (confirmed tradition).[5]

In Iswam, de Hijab, or headscarf, is worn by women because it is considered modest. Muswim men awso wear a skuwwcap cawwed a "kufi" or taqiyah (cap). Untiw more recent times, men in most Muswim societies were rarewy seen widout headdress of some sort. The doppa originating in de Caucasus is worn by KazanTatars, Uzbeks and Uyghurs. Conservative Muswims in Indonesia and Mawaysia, especiawwy in de ruraw areas, are often seen wearing a din kopiah.

The bwack satin headgear cawwed or known as fenta or topi is a piwwbox-shaped skuwwcap, worn by Zoroastrians. It is considered by some in de Zoroastrian rewigion to be of vitaw spirituaw importance. In earwier times, a saucer-shaped, red-and-white-striped kipah was de hawwmark of de Zoroastrian, uh-hah-hah-hah.

Buddhist priests in China wear de bao-tzu (more commonwy known as de mao-tzu, 帽子 Mandarinmàozi), de cwassic skuwwcap dat is de most wike de Jewish tradition, uh-hah-hah-hah. In Japan, de cap is more in de form of a piwwbox and is cawwed de boshi (帽子). Though not of eccwesiasticaw significance, de Buddhist skuwwcap does denote someding about de priest's standing in de community.

Some have chosen to wear a pasta strainer in identity photographs as "Pastafarians", when headgear in identity photographs are onwy permitted on rewigious grounds.[6]

Headgear such as crowns and tiaras are worn in recognition of nobwe status especiawwy among royawty. Wigs are worn traditionawwy by judges and barristers of Commonweawf nations. Feadered headpieces, such as de war bonnet of Pwains Indian cuwtures, are worn by various Native Norf American and Souf American indigenous peopwes.[7]

In de Western cuwture derived from Christian tradition, removing one's headgear is a sign of respect, making onesewf more open, humbwe or vuwnerabwe, much wike bowing or kneewing. This is as if to say, "I acknowwedge dat you are more powerfuw dan I am, I make mysewf vuwnerabwe to show I pose no dreat to you and respect you." Men's hats are traditionawwy removed in Church, and not removing dem is usuawwy frowned upon, uh-hah-hah-hah. Women, however, are reqwired to wear a hat to cover de head in some churches based on 1 Corindians 11:5.

In de Jewish tradition, de converse idea eqwawwy shows respect for de superior audority of God. Wearing a kippah or yarmuwke means de wearer is acknowwedging de vast guwf of power, wisdom, and audority dat separates God from mankind. It is a sign of humiwity to wear a yarmuwke. There is a common phrase dat expwains dis, saying dat "dere's awways someding above you" if you're wearing a yarmuwke, hewping you remember you're human and God is infinite. A Tawmudic qwote speaks of a righteous man who wouwd "not wawk (six feet) wif an uncovered head, de (spirit of God) is awways above him". Jews awso may wear a fur hat or a bwack hat wif a brim.

In de miwitary, dere are specific ruwes about when and where to wear a hat. In de miwitary, hats are generawwy worn outdoors onwy, at sea as weww as on wand; however, personnew carrying firearms typicawwy awso wear deir hats indoors. Removing one's hat is awso a form of sawute. Many schoows awso have dis ruwe due to de fact dat many younger men tend to wear basebaww caps and dis being in rewations to gangs depending on de side in which de hat is worn, uh-hah-hah-hah.

Traditionawwy, a man wouwd remove his hat to show respect for de dead, when a nationaw andem is pwayed or in de presence of royawty, in a church or courtroom, and during oder sowemn occasions, when meeting someone, and indoors except in wobbies and corridors of pubwic buiwdings dough dere is no actuaw rewationship to uncovered heads and any of dose pwaces and situations). A woman may continue wearing her hat, unwess she is wearing what is considered a unisex hat, such as a basebaww cap, when she shouwd remove her hat as weww. Women traditionawwy do not take off deir hats in dese situations because dey may be carefuwwy pinned to deir hair but take off deir hats onwy in deir own homes. Though hat etiqwette has been rewaxed and many peopwe who stiww wear hats wear dem indoors except for sowemn situations and at indoor dining tabwes.

Finawwy, de hat can be raised (briefwy removed and repwaced, wif eider hand), or "tipped" (touched or tiwted forward) as a greeting.

There are two types of hats: wif brims and widout. Necessity and fashion are de reason peopwe wear hats. The first manufactured hats were noding more dan a round piece of weader. A circwe of howes about de size of one's head was punched in de weader, and a string was den woven drough dose howes and puwwed tight to howd de hat snugwy to de head. The hatband separated de crown from de brim.

The wide fwoppy brim was tied up wif a ribbon, to keep it out of one’s eyes. Some times when de ribbon was off dey wouwd see dat de brim stayed curwed by itsewf. This wed to de hand-curwed brim.

Brims were bound wif ribbon to keep dem from fraying after being trimmed wif de knife. Awdough advancements in materiaws have ewiminated de need for binding de brim, or pinning it up, de custom remains. We must keep our brims curwed up because wong ago hatters did not know how to stiffen a brim.

When men went off to do battwe it was customary to wear a feader from deir woved one. Because men were mostwy right-handed dey wead when sword fighting wif de right side. At first dey wouwd stick de feader in de adjusting hatband. Unwess dey wanted to fight bwind, surviving duewers moved de feader and knot, to de weft side of de hat, where it remains today. As time went on, dey wouwd wrap a ribbon around de crown to howd de feader and hide de tie string knot.

When weader turned to vewvet some protection was needed to keep de soft fabric from fawwing on peopwe’s hair, dis is where de wining came from. Even dough modern hats are stiff enough not to cowwapse, de custom remains. Individuaw sizing ewiminated de need for de tie string, but de bow remains at de back of de hat, serving as a memoriaw to bygone hatters. What has evowved from necessity water became fashion, uh-hah-hah-hah.[9]

Hats wike de cowboy hat were designed from de fur up, to provide a wightweight aww-weader shiewd from de cwimatic conditions of de American West. Hats wike de basebaww cap were designed to provide shade.